Our Blog

There are so many books I wish I could read again for the first time. Re-reading them is never quite the same. For this week’s Top 10 Tuesday, I’ve come up with a list of ten books that were really important to me as a kid.

I played the flute when I was a kid. It was an illustrious career. We held concerts for our parents, and gathered at the local train station to serenade commuters during the Christmas holidays.

My entire musical education was garnered through my public school. The music teacher taught me how to read notes, tap my foot, follow the conductor, and it was all free. And while my career might have been short-lived, for many kids, it’s life saving. This is why Music in Our Schools Month is so important. And to celebrate the holiday this March, why not enjoy some YA novels that demonstrate just how important music is for teenagers (and everyone else).

It’s almost time to say goodbye (forever—I’m not ready) to Glee, the show we all love (or, as is probably more appropriate, love to hate). I’ve spent too much time thinking about the literary preferences of our favorite Glee characters, and below I’m sharing what books I think rest on the nightstands of the singing misfits. 

Thanks largely to the recently uploaded video What if Wes Anderson Directed X-Men?, and my own obsession with Wes Anderson films, I’ve decided to focus on Wes Anderson fans for this week’s Top 10 Tuesday.

Anderson is known for combining comedy with melancholic topics. He loves topics like grief, the loss of innocence, sibling rivalry, and unlikely friendships. Aesthetically, his films typically adhere to a color palette, make use of flat space camera moves, and involve hand-made miniatures or stop motion animation. If you’re a fan of his films, try out the following books the next time you’re looking for something to read.

BORN WEIRD by Andrew Kauffman: This book is focused on a group of siblings (family name: Weird), and the characters and setting are just as visual as any Wes Anderson film. Anderson would certainly approve of the relationships explored between the family and the very strange “curse” that plagues them.

THE POST OFFICE GIRL by Stefan Zweig: Wes Anderson has spoken at great lengths about Zweig’s work and how this novel in particular helped shape the inspiration for The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): “Many of the ideas expressed and/or explored in Grand Budapest we stole directly from Zweig’s own life and work.” So there you go.

Are you even READY, BookLikes users? Are you? You're not. You don't have to lie to me. This month, we've books we're publishing with the Mystery Writers of America, the latest Nick & Tesla, and The League of Regrettable Superheroes, all up for grabs.

Click on the links below to check out the giveaways. Good luck!

Manhattan Mayhem by Mary Higgins Clark: 30 Available! 

The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook by Kate White: 15 Available!

The League of Regrettable Superheroes by Jon Morris: 15 Available!

Nick & Tesla's Special Effects Spectacular by Science Bob & Steve Hockensmith: 30 Available! 

Quirk Books is linking up with The Broke and the Bookish for Top 10 Tuesday! This week we’re sharing our favorite fictional heroines… the kick-butt female types, not the drug. The internet told me that a heroine is “the principal female character in a story, play, film, etc.” That wasn’t good enough for me, so I searched online a little deeper (I just clicked the next link, but no one really needs to know that) and found a much better definition: “a woman of distinguished courage or ability, admired for her brave deeds and noble qualities.” Yes. That sounds good.